Room For Two
by unagi23
Summary: A simple shopping trip to Ikea becomes a lot more complicated for young couple Zac and Vanessa. Loosely based on a recent Twitpic of the two.
1. Chapter 1

**After the picture of Zac and Vanessa at Ikea found its way around the Internet, I started to think up all of these crazy scenarios centered around just a blurry photo. **

**Here is the beginning of a little story to go along with that pic, all from my own imagination. **

***I don't own High School Musical or its characters (and obviously not the actors in the series :p)***

**Anyway, hope you like it! :)**

* * *

It all started one afternoon at Vanessa's house.

Zac had stepped out of the master bathroom to find his girlfriend of 4 years laying piles of clothes on the bed. However, she was so focused on her work that she failed to pay attention to the incredibly sexy man standing in her room wearing nothing but a towel.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Vanessa continued what she was doing and responded, "Taking care of the clothing situation."

"Was there a problem?"

She shot him one of her irate glances. "What do you think? I have so many shirts and dresses it's ridiculous."

"And you're complaining why?"

"Not to mention you've got a nice collection of outfits over here yourself," she said, disregarding his comment.

Zac was thoroughly confused. Vanessa had always gladly accepted any chance to showcase a new look and had always been a bit of a shopping addict. Fashion was pretty important to her.

And since when was it a problem to keep some shirts and pants at her house? If anything else, Vanessa usually used it as an opportunity to wear something of his.

Yet here she was, complaining about too many outfits. What had gotten into her?

"So how are you fixing it?" he asked, trying to understand what the problem even was.

"Shopping."

Zac did a double take. "Wait, _shopping_? Isn't that what got you into this mess?"

"Excuse me?" At that point she stopped and finally looked directly at him.

Zac sauntered over to Vanessa, careful not to step on the clothes still on the floor, and grabbed her hand. "Would you mind telling me what's going on?" he asked, trying not to sound irritated.

She took a big sigh and seemed to calm down a bit.

"I just meant shopping for more hangers. All of these clothes have just been scattered all over the place and I'm having a hard time finding anything. I don't know, I just woke up this morning feeling like I should do something about it. It started to get on my nerves."

"Oh, is it that time.."

Vanessa quickly cut Zac off by smacking his muscular arm.

"NO! You should know by now that I don't appreciate hearing that," she said, shaking a finger at him in a motherly fashion.

"Oh come on, Ness. You know I was kidding."

She answered by throwing a shirt and a pair of shorts at him.

"Hey! What was that for?"

Zac saw Vanessa smile for the first time that morning. "I can't have you going shopping with me half naked. Seeing you with just a towel around your waist is one of the benefits I get as your girlfriend. I'm not sharing that with everyone in L.A."

He couldn't help but smile back.

* * *

A half hour later the two were getting ready to head out the door.

Vanessa was putting on her gray sweatshirt when she took a better look at what Zac was wearing.

"People are going to worry about us," she said.

Zac slipped on his second shoe. "Why is that?"

"We have a bit of a matching problem."

The couple found themselves once again wearing the same colored shirt, and laughed.

"Wow, I guess we do," Zac said with a grin. "It's almost always coincidental though. It's not like we _try_ to match."

"We just have such similar tastes."

Both burst into laughter again.

"Okay, maybe not," Vanessa confessed. "Considering I have a different pair of jeans for every day of the month, and you wear the same pair _for_ a month. "

"Let's not get started on the jeans again. I already had my mom call me when that one surfaced, demanding to know if I remembered how to do laundry."

Vanessa chuckled. "You ready?"

"I think so."

Zac followed her out the door, locking it behind them. "Where are we going by the way?"

"Let's try Ikea. I have a couple of other things that I'm looking for besides hangers."

And with that they headed to Zac's Audi parked in the driveway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews, and for all of the story favorites and alerts! :) It makes me incredibly happy to know so many people are reading my story, and are liking it.**

***I don't own High School Musical or its characters (and obviously not the actors in the series :p)***

**Well, here is chapter 2! Enjoy!**

****A little side note-I don't know much about Ikea besides pictures of the store and what's in their online catalog. I have never been to one before. ;) **

* * *

The ride to the store went much smoother than either had expected.

Although they never liked it, Zac and Vanessa had come to accept that paparazzi naturally came with the territory. It was something they had grown to deal with and had even developed clever ways to avoid them.

But today something was different. They were being left alone.

They had made it all the way to Ikea without any sort of annoying encounters.

"Wow," Zac said after they finally found a parking spot.

"What?"

He looked out his window before answering, "I think that was one of the most uneventful drives we've had in a long time."

Vanessa took a look out her window. "Just don't get too excited, we're not quite in the building yet."

The two quickly got out of the car, glancing around them as they shut the doors.

It was too good to be true. There were no cameras, nobody in their faces tracing their every move.

They felt that they could finally go shopping for once without the entire world knowing about it.

"Shall we?" Zac asked, clearly pleased with their surroundings.

Vanessa was just as happy. "We shall."

The two locked hands and proceeded to the entrance, but still didn't dawdle; just because they appeared to be alone at the moment didn't mean they would be forever.

* * *

"Okay. At least we got the hangers taken care of."

Zac watched as she continued to pile them into the cart.

"Geez, Vanessa. How many more clothes do you plan on fitting into your closet?"

She put in a final set of hangers. "As many that will fit."

They continued on down the aisle, trying their hardest to be low-key.

Not that they didn't appreciate their fans, for they would be nothing without them. However, sometimes it was nice to just be alone together.

"What else do we need?"

Vanessa thought about it for a minute. "I guess we can head to the rugs."

Zac suddenly got a great idea. He knew the two of them were adults, but most definitely kids at heart.

With that, he quickly turned down the aisle on the left, pushing his flatbed cart.

"Zac?!"

She heard him laughing as he began to sprint.

_Who knew a 22 year old running around like a little boy could be so cute? _She thought. _God, I love him. _

In less than a minute, Vanessa was chasing after him, exactly as Zac had hoped.

"Zachary Efron!" she called, as he continued to turn down aisle after aisle.

She followed his every move, but had a harder time keeping up with her cart full of hangers.

Zac was having the time of his life; he very much enjoyed the sort of cat-and-mouse scenario that was taking place.

"You still can't catch me!" he yelled.

After a few more steps, he then turned around to see just how far behind she was trailing, but came to a sudden stop. Vanessa wasn't there.

"Got ya!"

Zac whipped his head around back to the direction he had been heading. She was standing in front of him, with a boastful smile on her face.

"You thought you could outsmart me Efron?" she said proudly.

"I did. But apparently I was wrong."

They paused for a moment to catch their breath.

"To the rugs?" he asked.

Vanessa giggled. "Sure."

Ikea had quite a collection of textiles, almost too many to choose from. Vanessa hadn't come to the store with any particular style of rug in mind; she just hoped to find something fresh and new.

Then she saw it; a white sheepskin rug.

It wasn't usually her taste, but Vanessa knew right away that she wanted it.

However, she figured it was best to keep the reason why between her and Zac.

And in attempts to cover up her motive for this unusual choice, she threw an oriental rug into the cart as well.

"Sheepskin?" he asked, but knew exactly what her plans were.

"We'll talk about it later," she whispered seductively in his ear.

"I'm game."

* * *

As the couple waited in line to check out, surrounding customers had begun to recognize the two celebrities.

_So much for going unnoticed,_ Vanessa thought. _Although I'm pretty sure they probably saw us running around the store like a couple of kids._

She quietly chuckled at the thought of their race.

But Zac unintentionally interrupted her recollection of the memory.

"Look at all of the stuff we are buying," he said, as he truly inspected their full carts. "With all of these hangers, people are going to start thinking we're moving in together."

Both automatically laughed at the thought of it.

"Yeah, probably," Vanessa responded.

Zac quickly moved on from the idea, and started browsing through the nearest magazines at the register.

Vanessa on the other hand started to think about what he said as his words played again in her head.

_People are going to start thinking we're moving in together_

They had always enjoyed having their own separate places, it gave them a sense of individuality.

But was it really that unreasonable anymore?

Shopping for home decor with Zac had actually been enjoyable and she felt it brought them even closer together.

Vanessa took a deep breath.

Maybe it was time.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is a bit more serious than the first two. Life isn't all fun and games, right? ;)**

**Thanks again for the reviews and comments! I just can't believe how many readers this story has gotten already!**

***I don't own High School Musical or its characters (and obviously not the actors in the series :p)***

* * *

Vanessa had finally come to admit that she was ready to take the next step in her relationship with Zac. The only problem was that she was absolutely terrified to tell him.

_What am I supposed to say to him? _She thought. _And what if he says no? Or what if he goes along with it to make me happy, but turns out to be miserable?_

She was truly torn. Vanessa wanted nothing more in the world than to settle in with the love of her life, as she knew it could eventually lead to other things; an engagement ring perhaps. But for now she would be perfectly happy with the two of them just living together.

However, she also knew Zac liked his space, and it would probably kill him to give up his bachelor pad. He was still young after all, and she couldn't expect him to settle down just yet.

Just when she was starting to doubt the whole idea again...

"Ness, are you okay? You haven't been saying anything this whole car ride."

Vanessa jumped a little in her seat as she snapped out of her daydream and

turned to look at him apologetically.

"Sorry, I was just doing some thinking."

"Thinking about the rug?" Zac asked with a grin on his face.

Vanessa looked out the window and sighed. "No, something else."

"Oh," he replied, clearly disappointed with her answer.

She took a deep breath and turned to look at him in the driver's seat.

_Here goes nothing..._

"Zac, how do you feel about moving in together?"

He nearly ran through a red light after hearing her question, causing him to slam on the brakes just before the intersection.

The car was dead silent.

Vanessa almost cried.

"Mov..move in _together_? Vanessa, you can't be serious?!"

The light turned green, and his girlfriend who was nearly on the brink of tears turned away from him again.

Zac, however, didn't notice.

"We just bought our own houses. You've been dying to live on your own. Why do you want to throw that away all of a sudden?"

His choice of the word "throw" created a not in her stomach.

Yet he continued to talk.

"I just..don't get it. Was it because of the shopping we did? Ness, you know I was just going there to help you carry everything. I didn't think it meant we were shopping for house furnishings _together._"

Vanessa couldn't believe what she was hearing, and finally spoke up.

Her voice was shaky. "I just thought that after almost five years.."

"You know that I love you, Vanessa," he said assuringly. "But I just don't think we're ready for that step yet."

"Most couples are already engaged by five years, Zac."

Almost immediately she wished he hadn't said that. Marriage was a sensitive subject for the two of them; it usually caused some sort of argument. That's why they found it best to just avoid it all together.

And Zac was starting to raise his voice.

"We started dating when we were teenagers, Vanessa. Yes, some couples get married after five years, but most of them are not 21 and 22 years old!"

His patience was also running low.

"I mean, you've only been legally allowed to drink for a month!" He paused for just a moment.

"Are you pregnant?"

"WHAT!? No, I'm not pregnant!" Now Vanessa was the one who was agitated. "God, Zac! You act like I was expecting a proposal or something! Is it so horrible that I wanted to live with my _boyfriend?!_"

Tears were starting to form in her eyes.

"I can't even bring up our future together without you biting my head off! Sorry for even bringing up the idea of living together to begin with! It was obviously out of the question!"

To that he didn't know what to say.

* * *

An hour later Zac was still hanging around Vanessa's house, even though everything had already been brought in from the car.

The two knew they were absolutely horrible at arguments, mostly because they never stayed angry for long (or at least showed it).

So once Vanessa had pushed back her tears, the two continued on as normal and pretended that the conversation in the car never happened.

She decided to take a mid-afternoon shower after everything had been put away, mostly to take a break from the situation.

In the meantime, Zac lounged on the couch and surfed through television channels for something to watch.

But he didn't pay much attention to what was on the screen. His focus was on Vanessa's earlier suggestion.

_Move in together? That's crazy. And why would she suddenly want to do it? Ness never mentioned anything about it before..._

The truth was that a little part of Zac wanted to jump at the chance. He loved her more than he thought she knew.

He always wanted to be with her; that's why he spent so much time at her house. Zac considered it _his _home too, but never really told her.

Then there was a significantly large part of him that got nauseous at the idea. Their styles were so different it was almost sickening. He wasn't sure how they'd ever be able to compromise on decorating.

But that wasn't what was really keeping him from doing it. Plain and simple; Zac was scared.

He was scared to admit his bachelorhood was fading away; he was scared to make even more of a commitment; but most of all: he was scared about what would happen if it didn't work out.

Relationships weren't always forever; both of them knew that.

However, they had happily been together 4 years, and saw no end in sight.

But they were still young, and had a lot more to learn about one another.

Zac worried that moving in together too soon might surface some things neither had seen before. What if they began to argue all the time or found out that the other person wasn't what they thought they were?

There would be no happy ending if this plan failed; he knew that if they couldn't live together, Zanessa would be over.

* * *

Vanessa came out of the shower believing that tensions had eased between the two of them.

Yes, she was still hurt by what Zac had said, but she knew that when she had asked him, his response might not be a positive one.

There was no point dwelling on something that wasn't going to happen.

So when Zac called her over to come sit next to him, she didn't deny.

His first words when she hit the couch foreshadowed a discussion she was hoping to avoid.

"Vanessa, we really need to talk about this."

"No, we don't, Zac. Forget I ever brought it up."

"I'm not about to let this go."

She saw the look of determination in his eyes. When Zac wanted something, he wouldn't stop until he got it.

"Clearly you are not ready for the next step," she reminded him.

"Wait, _I_ am not ready for the next step? Vanessa, you couldn't have possibly expected me to go along with this so soon. We've _never_ discussed moving in together."

She nearly rolled her eyes at him. "You act like the thought has never entered your head."

"To be honest, it hasn't."

Zac bit his lip. While that may have been the truth, he knew that he shouldn't have admitted it to her; the consequences would certainly be unpleasant.

"I can't believe this!" Vanessa yelled as she got up off the couch. "I used to think that we both saw a future together, but now it sounds like all you see me as is someone to come home to at night until something better comes along!"

Zac's face was starting to turn red out of anger.

"Are you kidding me?! Why the hell would I have been around this long if that were true?! It's not like I don't have other options!"

Vanessa was stunned at his last sentence; the fact that he would even say that worried her. Was he contemplating a break-up?

"Then I guess kicking you out won't be a problem!"

Zac immediately grabbed his keys and was out the door when Vanessa got the last word in.

"I don't need you, Zac!"

She slammed the door behind him and ran over to plop back on the couch.

Vanessa sobbed heavily, wishing she could go back in time and stop the trip to Ikea from ever happening.

At the same time, Zac was still outside parked in her driveway. He slammed his hands into the steering wheel in frustration.

Both were wondering the exact same thing:

Was this where their relationship came to an end?


	4. Chapter 4

**Here it is: the fourth and final chapter.**

**Once again, thanks for the reviews, story alerts, and readers! There's nothing better than knowing you have people waiting to see what you put together!**

**I really enjoyed writing this story, and hope to do another one again in the future. :D**

***I don't own High School Musical or its characters (and obviously not the actors in the series :p)***

****The first section is from Vanessa's POV; the second is from Zac's. Finally, the third returns to the usual third-person narration.****

* * *

It was late at night, and I still couldn't sleep.

Maybe it was the uncontrollable sobbing or the frustration I was feeling.

Zac and I had our quarrels, but this by far was one of the worst.

I could not believe he had even said that he had other options. He's not that kind of person, at least so I thought.

Was he cheating on me? Was there someone on the side that I didn't know about?

The thought caused me to cry even harder.

I couldn't even imagine how I must have looked at that moment, curled up in a ball on my bed with tears streaming down my face and my phone in the palm of my hand.

I'm sure the image was pretty pathetic. I try my best not to come off as being the needy girlfriend, which I really don't think I am.

But I love him, I really do.

And even after what he said, I still felt incredibly lucky to call him my boyfriend.

I couldn't lose him...I just couldn't.

I took the moment to glance at the wallpaper on my phone: a picture of the two of us out to dinner.

To be honest, we looked pretty damn cute together.

God, was it hard to be angry at someone who was that incredibly charming.

But then I remembered our argument, and immediately recalled why I was furious.

As a distraction, I got up to head downstairs to the kitchen for something to eat. I wasn't exactly hungry, but I figured it would be better than moping around, unable to sleep.

It worked for a while, or at least until I was about to open the refrigerator.

"How dare he even say something like that!? " I accidently said aloud.

"He acts like he is doing me a favor by being my boyfriend. It's not like I don't have any other options too! Plenty of guys would be willing to date me...wouldn't they?"

* * *

It was 2:00 in the morning and I hadn't slept for more than 5 minutes.

How could I when I felt so horrible?

I'm sure Vanessa was absolutely miserable too.

Everyone was always telling me what a genuinely nice guy I was, but at the moment I felt like the biggest ass on the planet.

What kind of boyfriend am I to make his girl cry like that?

The thought was starting to make me feel nauseous.

I didn't mean what I said to her, at all.

There were no other options.

Vanessa was my _only_ option.

I didn't care if I could have any other girl in the world, because I wanted her.

She made me who I was, and we had been through so much together. We shared a connection that no one could understand.

We were a team, and I was failing to do my part.

I rolled over on the bed to grab my phone that had been sitting on my nightstand.

The picture on my wallpaper was from New Year's Eve, Vanessa and I together, cheek to cheek.

She put it there as a joke that night, but I never took it off.

It always cheered me up.

How could I be so incredibly stupid? All she wanted was to live together...was that really worth the argument? It wasn't a proposal, you idiot.

But if that's what she really wanted, wouldn't you do it?

I rolled out of bed and walked over to my dresser on the other side of the room

to pick up my kuuipo ring.

"Sweetheart," I whispered, rubbing my fingers over the engraving.

We had only been teenagers when we decided to get them, but it gave us a sense of comfort, for they reminded us of the solid relationship we had built.

It was also a silent commitment to one another; a promise that we wouldn't just give up, that we would fight to keep our love strong.

I slipped the ring on my finger and crawled back into bed.

"Kuuipo" was an understatement of what she meant to me, and Vanessa deserved to hear that.

* * *

Zac had considered calling first, but he knew it just couldn't wait.

Normally he didn't just show up at people's houses at 9:00 in the morning, but he had to see her...right now.

In the meantime, Vanessa was sulking around her living room, thanking God no one would see the huge bags she had under her eyes, or the pair of sweats she had slept in.

Then the door bell rang.

"What the..?"

She looked through the peephole in her door to find a familiar, but anxious face on the other side.

"What do you want?" she asked cautiously.

"Vanessa, please just open up."

"Why should I?"

Zac really couldn't blame her for not wanting to see him, but he knew there had to be a way to get her to open the door.

"We really need to talk."

"Like I haven't heard that before," she snapped back at him.

"Please, Ness. Just let me in."

Much to his surprise, she did.

When she opened the door, Vanessa could see him eyeing her obvious exhaustion, and expected him to make some sort of remark.

Instead, Zac walked right into the room and sat on the couch.

When he took off his sunglasses, she could tell that he too, got little rest. He actually appeared to be more of a mess than she was.

"Please, come sit on the couch with me."

A little reluctant, she slowly made her way to the sofa, sitting on the cushion farthest away from him.

"I'm sorry, Vanessa."

She remained silent.

"I should _not_ have treated you like that. I _have_ and _want _no other options, and I should have taken you wanting to live with me as a compliment."

His baby blues looked directly into her eyes.

"I did want to take that step. I was just....scared. It's complicated. I don't know..I just.."

He stumbled for the right words.

"I love you."

Zac scooted himself next to her on the couch to kiss her forehead.

"And I really am ready."

There was a truth in his voice that made her feel he was finally being honest.

She then noticed the kuuipo ring on his hand, and had a change of heart.

"You know what, Zac? Maybe we shouldn't do this yet. I'm glad that you're more okay with the idea now, but I'm perfectly happy with waiting."

"Ness.."

"It's fine," she smiled. "I'd rather do it when I know you _really_ are ready."

"I _am _ready."

She ran her hand through his hair as she spoke. "I know, but you don't have to do this just to prove to me that you care. I know you do, Zac."

Vanessa looked at the ring again and grinned. "Besides, we have plenty of time ahead of us."

"We are approaching five years you know.."

"But not until September. Who knows? By then we may want to take that step."

She paused once more.

"And if not, that's okay too."

Zac was reminded at that very moment of one of the reasons he loved her so much.

But the sentimental mood quickly changed.

"Now..how about we put that new rug to good use?" she asked with a look of passion in her eyes.

"Who can say no to that?"

Zac and Vanessa didn't need to share a home to show how much they cared about one another; their love was unconditional no matter what.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone again :)**

**Well, it's finally summer vacation for me and what am I doing? writing. Sounds about right. :)**

**Anyway, after I heard the rumor (well, _rumors_) about Zac and Vanessa secretly living together I thought about how perfect that would be as an add on to my story.**

**So, while it is unsaid as to whether it is true or not, I present to you a chapter (which I'm sure will be plural after a while) about it nonetheless.**

**Enjoy! :D**

***I do not own HSM or its characters (and obviously not the actors in the series) :p***

* * *

Many months had passed since a trip to Ikea had resulted in an argument between the young couple known as Zanessa.

She pitched the idea of living together, he was quick to shoot it down. Eventually, both decided maybe it just wasn't the time, and eventually everything proceeded on as normal.

However, when Vanessa found her apartment unfortunately flooded one afternoon, she had no choice but to seek out temporary residence.

Naturally, Zac moved her into his house for the time being until she could make future arrangements.

Vanessa had been staying with her boyfriend of nearly 5 years for only a week when Zac caught her looking up Malibu beach homes for rent on the internet.

"Hey babe, what are you doing?" he asked as he stood behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Well, obviously I need somewhere to stay," she said, hoping at the same time she wasn't hurting his feelings. "But I figure I might as well find a place that's away from the craziness of Hollywood.

Zac leaned in closer to the computer screen to get a better look at the selection of houses available.

"How about that one?"

Vanessa cringed at the price. It wasn't that she was cheap exactly, but she felt it was a little too much for rent. Especially when she was still paying for the damages from the flood.

"Aren't you going to look at it better?" he asked, wondering why she was hesitating.

She reluctantly clicked on the house's link and found what she was afraid to see.

It was absolutely gorgeous. From just the pictures, it looked like Heaven.

Zac began to read its features out loud.

"3 bedrooms, 4 baths, 2-car garage, central air, fire place...3 ocean view bedrooms, beautiful courtyard, tiled pool, ocean front, guest suite..."

He paused for a moment so they could each finish reading on their own.

"Vanessa, it's really spectacular!"

She sighed, knowing it wasn't going to happen.

"Ness, what's up?"

How was she going to tell him that she didn't think she could afford it?

But Zac quickly took her mind off of the price.

"Hey, here's an idea," he said smiling, with his hands still resting on her shoulders. "Why don't I move in there with you?"

Vanessa nearly fell out of her chair. Wha, what?

"Yeah, I mean I could help pay half of the rent. It would also be nice to get away for a while."

She could not believe what she was hearing. This was coming from the guy who practically ran through a red light at her mention of it months ago. Zac was not ready for that step back then, so what exactly made him change his mind now?

"Move in together?" she managed to spit out.

She was starting to realize that this conversation was starting to sound all too familiar, but this one was going to end different.

"Sure, why not?" he asked cheerfully.

Vanessa turned ever so slightly to face him, and Zac was pleased to see a genuinely happy smile on her face.

"You mean it?" she asked almost squealing like a little girl.

Zac reassuringly kissed her forehead. "I sure do."

With that, she jumped out of the chair and ran to grab the phone. "I'll call the realtor right now!"

* * *

"He seriously wants to live with you?" Ashley asked.

Not even a couple hours after Zac proposed the idea, Vanessa was on the phone sharing the news with her best friend and former HSM co-star Ashley Tisdale.

"I know, I couldn't believe it either."

After what Ashley had heard about their last fight, she was quite surprised that the idea even crossed Zac's mind.

"Well, I'm really happy for you," she said, deciding not ot question Zac's change of heart.

Vanessa was quite happy to hear that her BFF approved of the plan.

While thinking of what else she wanted say, V glanced into the other room at Zac on the couch. Dozens of thoughts about their relationship entered her head.

_It's going to be perfect_.

However, Ashley interrupted her daydreaming.

"It's definitely going to be interesting. I mean, I know you guys have stayed at each other's houses before, but you've still just been guests. It's been him eating _your_ food, sitting on _your_ couch, using _your_ bathroom, and he's had to respect that it's your space. Now it turns into "our." He's going to think he can do whatever he wants. I mean, he'll be on his best behavior for a while, but eventually you'll catch him drinking right out of the milk carton. Major turn-off, let me tell you."

Vanessa wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"You think it's going to be that bad?"

Ashley was surprised at how naive her friend sounded.

"I didn't mean it that way, Vanessa. It's just that you guys have never 'lived' together for more than a couple of days. You two will finally see what it would be like to..well, be _married_."

The way Ashley emphasized married almost made Vanessa feel nauseous. Wasn't it supposed to be a good thing to share that sort of commitment?

"I guess this is sort of like a trial marriage then," she said uneasily.

By the sound of Vanessa's voice, Ashley could tell she may have made a mistake.

"Come on, everything will be fine. You know the two of you are perfect for each other."

Vanessa could only hope that Ashley was right.

* * *

Later that night, Zac had a very similar conversation over the phone with his younger brother Dylan.

"You're living together? Like, for real this time?"

"Yeah, man. This is for real."

Dylan's loud laughing caught Zac by surprise.

"What's so funny?"

"The idea of it, dude. You'll be lucky if this doesn't put an end to your relationship."

Zac wasn't sure if Dylan was being serious or not.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Okay, here's what is going to happen," Dylan began. "Everything will be cool at first, like always. But then she'll want to start decorating your house _her _way. And let's face it, dude, you two have totally different tastes. Anyway, she'll start putting up like pictures of kittens and unicorns and crap like that and make the house all girly. Then she'll start getting OC about stupid things like picking your clothes up off of the floor and eating junk food. Not to mention you'll have to see her at her worst moments. I mean, she definitely can't be pretty _all_ of the time. Oh, and she'll send you out on like midnight tampon runs and..."

Zac was quick to cut off his brother's rambling.

"Dylan!"

"And you'll see sides of her that you haven't before. And little things she does will start to bother you and.."

"Dude! Knock it off!" Zac was a bit overwhelmed by his comment. "Where do you come up with all of this stuff?"

"Hello? It's totally Mom and Dad! You two are practically going to be like an old, married couple."

"We're just living together, we.."

Dylan was quick to cut him off again, and Zac was clearly getting agitated.

"This is going to be like a test to see if you could handle it when the time actually comes along."

"Whatever man. Everything's going to be fine. Vanessa and I will have a good time together."

Once again, the younger Efron seemed to be in his own little world.

"And if you think she's going to let you drink the milk right out of the carton, you've got another think coming."

Zac chose to ignore his comment.

However, Dylan didn't stop. There was something else he needed an answer to.

"What exactly made you change your mind?"

There was a pause.

"I don't know, I guess I just felt like maybe we should give it a try."

Zac truly didn't know what it was that gave him the push. Was it that he was getting older, almost ready to settle down?

He nearly laughed at his own answer.

_Yeah, I have been quite the busy bachelor. _

Whatever the reason for Zac's sudden urge to live with Vanessa, he hoped that it would have a happy ending, not the one his brother had been describing.

* * *

"Van, you ready?"

Zac heard her high-pitched voice echo down the hall.

"I'm coming!"

"Is everything in the car?" she asked as she entered the room.

Zac took a look at his girlfriend and noticed the sparkle in her eye. He hadn't seen her this happy in quite a while, and it made him feel really good with their decision.

Vanessa too saw that Zac had an unusual amount of energy this afternoon, something he had been lacking in the past weeks.

Both knew their bubbliness was for the exact same reason.

Today was the day they had been waiting for, the first day of their so-called "trial marriage," the day that could change everything...

Moving Day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! I wanted to thank everyone for the very nice reviews, not to mention the amount of views this chapter has gotten! I was really happy :)**

**Glad to see so many people are enjoying it.**

**Well, the MTV Movie Awards are this weekend and I'm sure Zac and Vanessa will be getting asked about this whole 'living together' business. So, despite what their answers may be, I'm obviously going to keep continuing this scenario as if it's been true all along. ;)**

**Thanks again, and enjoy the next chapter!**

***I do not own HSM or its characters (and obviously not the actors in the series) :p***

* * *

_(Flashback)_

_"Zac, could you come over here please?" Vanessa sobbed into the phone._

_Her boyfriend was incredibly worried. He knew she didn't cry often, and when it did happen, there was something considerably wrong._

_"Ness, what's going on? Are you hurt?" Zac quickly questioned in a state of panic._

_"No, it's not anything like that," she replied, trying to stifle her tears. "My apartment is...flooded."_

_He immediately knew how she felt. After he woke up one morning to find that the previous night's rainstorm caused his pool to overflow, and led to a good 4 inches of water in his house, Zac knew she had to be under a lot of stress._

_"I'll be right over there, Van. Not even five minutes." _

_And with that he was on his way._

_Meanwhile, Vanessa waited for him on her front step, trying to forget about the mess inside._

_Sure enough, five minutes after their phone conversation ended, Zac arrived in her driveway._

_As soon as he got out of the car, Vanessa had her ams wrapped around her man, and buried her head into his chest._

_There was something about being in his presence that always made her forget her troubles. Any sort of physical contact with him reminded her of the strong connection they shared as a couple._

_Zac heard her sniffling and leaned down to kiss the top of her head, something he found himself doing often._

_"Vanessa, everything's going to be fine."_

_He squeezed her tighter._

_"Remember, I've been through it before too."_

_Zac noticed the sobbing subsided, but she still hadn't made eye contact with him yet._

_"How did it happen exactly?"_

_Vanessa finally let go of him, but still wouldn't look at his face._

_"I..," she said, looking at the ground while trying not to cry. "I left the bathroom sink running."_

_Had it not been such a serious matter, and had she not been so upset, he probably would have made some joke about it. But he knew it wasn't exactly the time._

_So instead he wiped the tear off of her cheek._

_"It's not a big deal, Ness."_

_"Yes it is, Zac! I'm 21 years old! I shouldn't be forgetting to make sure the water is turned off before I leave the house."_

_He grabbed her petite hands._

_"Listen, everyone makes mistakes. Things could have been a lot worse."_

_She sighed. "I guess."_

_"You can stay with me as long as you need, babe."_

_Her voice picked up."Really? Are, are you sure?" _

_Zac laughed._

_"What kind of boyfriend do you think I am? I'm not going to leave my girl out on the street!"_

_She finally revealed a smile._

_"Thanks, Zaccy."_

_Vanessa knew she was blessed to have such a wonderful guy by her side._

* * *

After the 30 minute drive from Zac's house to Malibu, the couple had finally arrived at their new house.

"There it is, Van! Our first house together!"

Vanessa couldn't believe the enthusiasm Zac was showing. She was thrilled that he was just as excited for this new adventure as they were.

When the two stepped out of Zac's car, they could not believe their eyes.

The house was even prettier in person. It truly looked like one of the most romantic houses in all of Malibu.

"Would you look at the view?" Zac shouted.

Catching Vanessa by surprise, he grabbed her by the hand and nearly dragged her to the backyard to get a better look at the beach.

Both simultaneously whispered a "Wow," without even realizing it.

"This is going to be amazing," Vanessa squeaked, still holding Zac's hand.

"It sure is."

The view was so breathtaking that the two stood without talking for a minute, just to take it in.

Vanessa was the first to break the silence.

"Why don't we take a little walk?" she asked, gleaming.

"What about all of the stuff in the car?"

"Can't it wait?"

This time, Vanessa gently pulled Zac's hand, leading him near the water.

Still holding hands, they took the opportunity to take a moment for themselves, something that they hadn't had the chance to do in a while. It reminded them of their vacations to Hawaii, when they would have similar quality time.

"So how exactly are we going to keep this is a secret?" she asked quietly.

"Why would we do that?"

She gave him her usual "are you serious?" look that he understood perfectly.

"You know that we have to be careful about how many people hear about this, Zac. For one thing, we don't need a bunch of creepers hanging out in our front lawn.."

Zac couldn't help but chuckle. The way she said "creepers" made her sound like she had swallowed something sour.

The sound of his comforting laugh caused Vanessa to let out a giggle, as well.

"And you know that as soon as everyone else found out," she continued, "we'd be hearing about it _constantly_. Then it would turn into drama, and a bunch of rumors about why it happened. People would be saying things like I lost the key to get into my place and you forgot to pay the electric bill for your house or I had mold growing in my apartment and you couldn't take it living in that big metal box anymore.."

Zac stopped walking. "Metal box?"

"No comment." She giggled again and gestured for him to continue walking.

"What's wrong with my house?"

She was quick to change the subject.

"Not to mention, everyone would be saying something crazy like we secretly got engaged and moved away to start our new life together."

Zac sighed. "And we like being a part of Hollywood why?"

Vanessa knew what he meant, but she had a better answer to his reasonable question.

"Because Hollywood was responsible for bringing us together," she replied sweetly. "And I think that makes it all totally worth it."

* * *

Vanessa was in the living room going through one of the boxes of belongings Zac had brought from his house when she came across a possession that she had never seen before.

"Zaccy, what is this?" she asked, trying her hardest not to burst out laughing.

Zac, who was going through another box on the other side of the room, stepped closer to get a better look at what she was holding up for him to see.

_Oh no, _he thought. _How in the world did that end up here?_

Unable to quickly conjure up a good answer, all the 22 year old could do was turn red.

"Do you often brush your teeth with Mr. Spiderman?" she continued, finally letting out one of her classic high-pitched giggles.

"It's just a collector's item. That's all."

"Sure it is, Efron."

"It is. You know I liked Spider-man growing up as a kid. He was my favorite comic book hero. It's not like I actually use it."

Vanessa stepped over closer to him, and waved it in his face.

"Then why does it have dried toothpaste on it?"

When he went to reach for it, still quite red in the face, she took off running around the couch, waving it in the air like a little girl.

"Do you have some Spidey pajamas in here too?"

"Vanessa, give that to me!"

She continued to prance around the room, laughing and embarrassing her boyfriend even more.

Instead of trying to catch her, Zac went through the nearest box filled with _her_ belongings, trying to find something to use against her.

"Aha!" he yelled with a sense of victory.

Vanessa took notice of what he had excitedly found.

"Tampons? Isn't that more embarasing for you?"

Zac turned a deeper shade of red before dropping the box to pick up something else.

"I meant to grab this."

"My underwear? How is that humiliating?"

"Oh, it's not right now."

Zac began to grin from ear to ear. "But it will be when it's laying out on our front lawn."

"ZAC, NO!" she shouted as he was making his way out the front door.

They may have been in their early twenties, but there was something about the friendship aspect of their relationship that always allowed for them to act like kids together.

Following behind him, Vanessa sprinted out of the house, only to find that Zac was not out in the yard as he promised.

"Did you really think I was going to leave your _underwear_ outside?" she heard him say behind her. "Come on, Vanessa. I'm not going to give the pervert next door a show."

She turned around to reveal that she too was blushing.

"I knew you wouldn't."

"Sure, Van. Sure."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and the two proceeded back into the house.

"Oh, and that toothbrush really is a collector's item."

She look again at the spots of toothpaste on the bristles of the "collector's item" she still had in her hand.

"Sure, Zac," Vanessa whispered. "Sure."

* * *

_One month later_...

"Vanessa, where the hell is the remote?" she heard him call from the living room.

"I don't know! Why would I have it?"

"I don't know, but it's not here."

She rolled her eyes. "Well it didn't just get up and walk away, Zac."

He grunted at her typical answer.

While Zac continued to fish around for it in the couch, she went into the kitchen to find their nearly new 2-liter bottle of pop in the garbage can.

"Zac, what happened to all of the Coke?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, turning around just enough to see her holding it up in an annoyed fashion.

"It's empty!"

He was unsure of what her problem was. "Yeah, so?"

"I just bought it yesterday!"

"We were out of everything else! You told me to drink it!"

Zac and Vanessa sighed, as the same thing crossed their minds.

_When did it all go wrong?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! Once again, I wanted to say thanks for the sweet reviews and to all of the readers!**

**Well, we still have no confirmation about this rumor (at least that I know of) which is definitely interesting. ;)**  
**This chapter is set up a little different, as it will all be in flashbacks. [however, it will not be in italics] To minimize confusion, the first part picks up from Zac and Vanessa moving in (after the scene where they are unpacking), with the last part leading up to the very end of the last chapter. (If that makes sense?) Hope you can follow along with no problems! :D**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

***I do not own HSM or its characters (and obviously not the actors in the series) :p***

* * *

After a long day of unpacking and rearranging, Zac and Vanessa went outside to sit in their backyard and enjoy the view.

As Vanessa went to pull a chair next to her already sitting boyfriend, Zac spoke up.

"Babe, what are you doing?"

She was thoroughly confused.

"What?"

"I saved you a seat already."

Vanessa glanced around on the deck, still lost as to what he was talking about.

Zac patted his lap. "Hello?"

She smiled at his effortless attempt at flirting.

"You're right. Silly me," Vanessa said, giving in to Zac's wishes and sitting. "What was I thinking grabbing a chair when I have a nice comfortable seat right here?"

"That's right," he replied quietly.

She leaned back, resting her head next to his while he wrapped his arms around her stomach, pulling her closer.

"This really is a beautiful view."

"Yeah. I think we're going to have a really good time in this house, Van." He paused for a moment. "Seriously. No annoying paparazzi...well, hopefully. No annoying neighbors. Just you, me, and our own little stretch of beach."

Although Vanessa almost always payed attention to what Zac had to say, this time her mind had started to wander.

_I really am one of the luckiest girls alive. I'm in the arms of the guy every girl wishes was hers._

"Ness?" he asked, as she appeared to be in a daze.

Without warning, Zac felt Vanessa's arm around his head, pulling him in for a passionate kiss.

However, he certainly was not complaining.

The two continued in their lip-lock, making each feel like the world had stopped turning, even if only for a minute.

"What was that for?" Zac asked, almost blushing. "That was certainly out of nowhere."

"I don't know," she answered, almost unsure herself. "I guess I wanted to see if sparks still flew when we kissed."

"And?"

She smiled. "Let's just say I felt like my lips were on fire."

Zac sighed quietly with a sense of accomplishment. "Then I guess Zefron's still got it."

* * *

The next morning, Zac rolled over in bed to find that he was alone.

_Did she leave?_ he thought.

Just then, the aroma of bacon drifted into the room.

Zac was quick to head into the kitchen. He was never one to pass up a hot breakfast.

"Well, aren't you sweet?"

Vanessa turned around from the counter to see a very sleepy, but nonetheless, happy Zac making his way over to the table to sit down.

"I figured why not celebrate our first morning in our new house together?"

Zac grinned.

"We certainly celebrated our first night together."

Vanessa shook her head. _Boys._

"I'm pretty sure people in San Francisco could hear us."

"ZAC!"

"What? It's not like there's anyone around."

"Definitely one of the perks," he paused to goose the nearby Vanessa, "about this place."

She rolled her eyes, but Zac could see she was just as satisfied with their previous night together.

"Just eat your breakfast."

Zac looked down at the plate in front of him.

Bacon, eggs, french toast, and hash browns.

"Wow, what did I do to deserve this?"

He took a bite of the toast.

"Ah, I know," he added as Vanessa took her seat. "I obviously did _something_ Miss Hudgens liked last night."

"Oh, Zac. I'm glad my cooking skills please you so."

"And I'm glad my apparently mind-blowing skills in the bedroom.."

She cut him off by shoving a piece of bacon in his mouth.

"Please, just eat."

He surprisingly obeyed.

* * *

_One week later..._

Zac was flipping through television channels when he heard the toilet flush in the bathroom down the hall.

"Babe, please remember to put the toilet seat back down."

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'll try to remember next time."

Zac never used to have a problem when he was over Vanessa's house, but for some reason he had reverted back to his old ways.

Other than that minor issue, everything had been going just fine between them. Living together had been everything they had imagined. The two felt it had made them closer as a couple. To be honest, life had been no different than when they would just spend occassional nights over each other's houses. Actually, it was even better now.

Vanessa was getting ready to make dinner when Zac stopped her.

"Hey, just take it easy today. You've made almost every single meal since we've been here. Let me cook you something this time."

She was pleasantly surprised. "All right."

Zac wouldn't tell her what he was making, but instead had her relax on the couch.

After he had finished the meal he promised, he whistled for her to turn around.

Vanessa walked up to the table to find a delicious meal of chicken parmesan for two.

"Wow, aren't I special?" she said. "What did I do to deserve this?"

He pulled out the chair for her to sit down.

"Ah, wait," she started, trying her best to sound like Zac on their first morning together. "Mr. Efron must have liked _something _I did last night."

"Or maybe I just love you," he said kissing the top of her head and sitting down himself.

Vanessa smiled at her boyfriend's gesture.

"I can live with that."

She found her dinner to be absolutely delectable. Zac's skills as a chef really came as a surprise.

"Zac, I had no idea you were such a good cook."

"Well, thank you," he said cheerfully.

"Now I never have a reason to make a meal again..."

"Oh, nice try, Vanessa. But there's no way I'm missing out on your awesome breakfasts."

She gave him one of her seductive smiles. "Well, keep up the good work, Efron, and you will keep finding them on the table in the morning."

* * *

_Two weeks later..._

"Zac, please put the toilet seat back down."

"Oh, right. Sorry about that."

They crossed paths on her way back from the bathroom, as Zac went to look for a Band-Aid.

"Babe, where are the Band-Aids at again?"

"In the medicine cabinet."

_Where they've always been, _she thought.

Vanessa couldn't believe he hadn't learned their location after the first four times. _How did he ever find anything in his house? _

Zac, after retrieving his Band-Aid, opened the cupboard under the sink to look for a paper towel. His discovery made him turn white.

Every feminine product he had ever seen in a grocery store was there. It may as well have been the entire selection the supermarket offered.

Yes, he was living with a girl, but...that was just it. He was now living with a _girl. _No matter how long he and Vanessa had been together, the topic still embarassed Zac to no end.

_This is definitely one of the things Dylan was talking about._

When Zac returned to join Vanessa on the couch, she noticed his face was ghostly pale.

"Zaccy, what's wrong?"

"Uh, it's nothing."

"What is it?"

She knew only one thing in that bathroom could have made him look ill.

"_Really_, Zac?" Vanessa laughed. "Do you need me to reteach middle school health for you?"

He still refused to say anything.

"It's not like I asked you to go out and buy tampons for me. That's just cruel."

Zac couldn't look her in the eye.

"You do know that I've been using them since we started dating, right?"

_Ah, didn't need to know that_, he thought.

Vanessa practically read his mind.

"Okay, Zac. Well when you're ready to graduate from sixth grade, come and find me."

* * *

_Three weeks later..._

Vanessa walked into the kitchen to find Zac drinking right out of the milk carton.

_Oh my God! Ashley was right!_

"ZAC!"

He nearly dropped the carton on the floor. "What?"

"What the hell are you doing?"

Vanessa quickly grabbed the carton out his hands. "Ew! That's..." she struggled for the right word, "disgusting!"

"What?"

"You can't do that, Zac! You're not the only one using it!"

"Babe, it's not like I have cooties."

Vanessa thought he sounded like a kid again.

"I know that, Zac," she asserted. "But it's really unsanitary."

He brushed his hand through his hair. "Fine, I'll use a glass."

"Yes, please do."

Vanessa knew she probably sounded like a nagging wife, but it had to be stopped..._now._

_Wow, there are a lot of things that are going to take getting used to around here._

Zac was feeling frustrated, he was having a hard time adjusting to this new lifestyle. He was so used to doing things _his _way. But he knew that it wasn't fair to Vanessa.

They had only been living together for a few weeks, but there were already little things about each other that were starting to get annoying. It didn't exactly change their feelings for one another, but it wasn't going to be easy dealing with such different lifestyles.

Would things get worse before they got better?


	8. Chapter 8

**I want to thank everyone one final time for reviews and views! I'm so happy the addition to my story got so many readers.**

**I present to you the final chapter that will be part of this scenario, and I hope you enjoy it!**

***I do not own HSM or its characters (and obviously not the actors in the series) :p***

**One more thing, if it is later confirmed that the two have been living together all along, let's just say I'll be quite happy. ;)**

* * *

"Ashley," Vanessa whined into the phone.

She was once again looking to her best friend for advice, as Ashley was always happy to give it.

"What's wrong? You don't sound like you should, after living with Zac for a month."

All Vanessa could do was let out a big grunt.

"Come on, tell me everything."

Ashley made sure she was comfortable in her living room chair. When Vanessa wanted to vent, she definitely vented.

"I don't know when it all started, Ash. Everything was going great. We were so happy to be here together. Zac was making me dinners, I was making him breakfast. We would sit outside at night and watch the sunset. We'd take romantic walks on our little area of the beach. Our nights together became even better..."

"Yeah, it does sound like a miserable time," Ashley chimed in sarcastically.

"Ashley, this is serious," Vanessa pleaded.

"Sorry, go on."

"And everything got even better. I couldn't believe it was going so well. I thought.." she paused for a moment, "that we really were meant to be."

Ashley was quite surprised at what she was hearing. Had their relationship taken a turn for the worst? For Vanessa to say she _thought_ they were meant to be didn't sound promising.

Vanessa continued, "Then, I don't know..something started to change. Zac kept forgetting to put the toilet seat down, which _never_ used to happen. And he was getting freaked out about like tampons and stuff, which was also never a problem before. Not to mention, I had to keep nagging him to pick up his clothes, and he was eating practically everything we had in the house..Oh, and I caught him DRINKING OUT OF THE MILK CARTON!"

Ashley had to pull the phone away from her ear at Vanessa's sudden increase in volume.

For a minute there was no response, then Vanessa heard Ashley laugh.

"Welcome to an adult relationship, Vanessa."

"What?" She couldn't believe her friend's response.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound patronizing, but if this is all that's going on between the two of you, then I'm pretty sure you have nothing to worry about.

_What is she talking about? _Vanessa thought.

"You're finally experiencing what it's like to have to compromise in a relationship. This is the first time you guys have _really_ started to argue. And, as horrible as it sounds, I'm kind of glad. You two were so perfect it was quite scary, actually. Good to know some things _do_ bother you."

Ashley laughed again, and Vanessa was getting angrier, not to mention more confused.

"Listen, Vanessa," Ashley said in her more "sisterly" tone. "Relationships are never easy; no matter how perfect two people are for one other. There are going to be days when you guys get on each other's nerves, even if it's because of little things. You and Zac are used to doing things your own way, like I said before. _Now_, you really have to work on compromising. It's just going to take time to get used to each other's lifestyles."

"I guess."

"Have all of your arguments been about things around the house?"

Vanessa thought about it for a minute, and realized where her friend was going with the conversation. "Yes."

"There you go. You and Zac are going to be fine, Vanessa. Zac's not going to break up with you just because you told him to get his underwear off of the floor. And you're not going to dump him just because he can't remember to put that damn toilet seat down after he pees.," Ashley sighed for a minute. "Man, is that annoying."

She finally heard Vanessa laugh. "Yes, very much so."

"Now, you aren't going to let something as great as sharing a house in Malibu become a nightmare right?"

Vanessa sighed. "No."

"Then get back in there and make up with your man, Vanessa. I know this whole fifteen minutes of silent treatment you're giving him has to be killing you."

And without any warning, Vanessa had hung up.

Ashley was pleased with herself, she had done her job.

* * *

Much like when Zac and Vanessa had made plans to move in together, Zac was on the phone with his younger brother Dylan again, unaware that his girlfriend was on her phone at the same time.

"Zac, man, what's up? The only times you ever call me are when you have tickets to some event, or you have some news to share about Vanessa."

"Sorry, bro, no tickets this time."

"It was worth a shot. Obviously this is about Vanessa then...and by the sound of your voice, it doesn't sound like anything good."

"Yeah, I don't know. Things haven't been going so great, man."

Dylan seemed surprisingly understanding. "Why, what's going on? She starting to get on your nerves?"

"No! But I can tell that everything I do lately has seriously been pissing her off."

Dylan laughed. He could only imagine her reactions to things he was pretty sure Vanessa had never seen Zac do before.

"Well, what have you been doing?"

"I don't know. That's the problem."

Dylan was sure he knew _exactly _what the problem was. "We'll fix that right now," he began. "Let's see, have you been drinking milk out of the carton?"

Zac paused. "Yeah," he answered hesitantly.

"Eating a bag of potato chips a night?"

"Uh, not often."

"Picking your clothes up off of the floor? That was a big one when you were living here."

Zac paused again, thinking hard about his brother's question. "Yeah. I mean, I try to at least."

Dylan eager to fire the next one at his brother.

"Putting the toilet seat back down?"

There was another moment of silent.

Zac knew he had lost the battle. _Crap._

"No."

Zac could only imagine the smug look on Dylan's face. "Need I say more?"

"Okay, dude. So I haven't been exactly the best roommate."

Dylan finally got serious. "Roommate? Dude, you're being a crappy boyfriend."

"What are you talking about?

The last thing Zac thought of himself as, was a bad _boyfriend. _

"Have you been listening to Vanessa at all? I mean, I don't know much about girls or relationships, but I'm pretty sure it's a two way street, man. I'm sure she's nagged you about this stuff like dozens of times..and have you actually done it?"

Zac was really hating the way this conversation was going. Dylan was making him out to be the bad guy. Was he?

"I've been trying. To be honest, I didn't even realize I was being so oblivious to what she was asking," he answered. "Wow. I have been a pretty crappy boyfriend."

"Okay, I didn't mean it that way. It's just that I know you can be really observant when it means getting some _attention_ from her, if you know what I mean. It sounds like you need to work a little bit more at listening with your ears, not your eyes."

As crazy as Dylan sounded, Zac completely understood him.

Before their conversation came to a close, Dylan had one more thing to address.

"Is that all that's really going on? You guys are cool other than that?"

"Yeah, dude. We're doing great."

"Good to hear, man. I knew you would be. Now go tell Vanessa you love her," Dylan said, wishing Zac could see him roll his eyes. "God, you two are the worst at fighting. Do you ever stay mad at each other longer than an hour?"

But Zac was already gone.

* * *

Almost at the same time, Zac and Vanessa had met each other in the living room, both eager to say something.

"I'm sorry," quickly came out of both of their mouths.

"Wait, _you're _sorry?" Vanessa questioned. "Why are _you_ sorry?"

"I've been a horrible boyfriend, Vanessa."

She laughed at his answer in disbelieve. "What?"

"I haven't been very attentive to you, or anything you've asked."

Vanessa reached to Zac's side to grab his hand, and led him over to the couch to sit. That was almost always where they had their serious conversations.

"Forgetting to put the toliet seat back down hardly makes you a bad boyfriend, Zac," she said with a chuckle.

"Well, I still haven't done it without being reminded. You'd think I'd have learned by now."

Zac was caught off guard by Vanessa playing with his hair.

"You're so cute," she said, her mind drifting. "You are the only guy I know who is always so worried about what his girlfriend thinks. It's really sweet."

He smiled at her compliment, and looked down at the floor in embarrassment.

Her tone suddenly became more serious. "Listen, Zac. This is a learning process. For _both_ of us. We're having to adjust our lifestyles to incorporate one that's..a bit different than our own. So stop being so hard on yourself; you're just doing normal guy stuff. Keep in mind, I don't have any brothers."

"Well, I don't have any sisters..so this definitely is a learning process. It's going to take a while for me to get used to seeing certain girl..um.._things_ around the house."

Vanessa laughed. "Yeah, those are going to be here for a long time."

Zac knew it was his turn to ask the questions.

"So why exactly are _you_ sorry?"

"I'm sure I've been annoying as hell, Zac. 'Do this' and 'do that.' I really don't like what I've become."

"Become? Vanessa, _someone_ around here has to be the responsible one. Clearly, it's not me. I drink milk right out of the carton, remember?"

Both laughed again at the recollection of that argument.

"Well, I'll try not to be such a nag. I want you to think of me as your girlfriend, not your mother."

Zac rested his hand on hers.

"Babe, that would _never _happen. You have seen parts of me that my mother has absolutely no desire to view for herself.."

She gave him a quick peck.

"You're so weird. But I love you for it."

"Right back at you, Ness."

* * *

_Two months later..._

Vanessa had just gotten off of the phone when Zac noticed an odd look on her face.

"Babe, what's going on?"

"They wanted to let me know that all of the repairs in my house are done."

Zac felt his heart sink. "Oh."

Vanessa heard the disappointment in his voice, and she too got depressed.

Neither had really thought about this day...what they would do when there was no longer a _need_ for them to live together.

Before she could think twice, Zac was standing by her side, grabbing her empty hand.

"Please don't leave, Vanessa."

He nearly sounded on the verge of tears.

"I know we've had our ups and downs since we've moved in together," he began, "but if it's possible, I think I've fallen in love with you even more since we took that next step."

Zac's words nearly had her crying.

But he continued. "We don't have to stay here forever. We can use this place as a summer home or something. But if you go back to L.A., I'm going with you. Whether it's to your house, mine, or we get a place of our own."

He tilted Vanessa's chin just enough to look her in the eyes.

"You're not getting rid of me now, Vanessa. I know a good thing when I see it."

"Oh, Zac," she said, trying her best not to cry. "I want to live with you too. The only way I'm moving back into my place is if I know I'm going to wake up every morning and see you there."

_How did I ever doubt that we weren't meant to be together? _she thought.

Zac once again found himself wiping a tear from her cheek, but this time it was a tear of joy.

"Living with you was the best decision, I've ever made," he said as he wrapped his arms around her. "And I'm sorry that I didn't do it sooner."

While the location of their residence remained uncertain at the moment, Zac and Vanessa knew one thing for sure:

No matter where they chose to live together, they would be happy...

Because they would be together.


End file.
